1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to medical insertion devices, and more particularly to a flexible chest tube insertion apparatus with a hardened insertion tip, video camera, fluid lumen and stiffening balloon that is inserted within the chest tube and expanded during use.
2. Description of Related Art
The inside of the mammalian chest cavity is lined with two layers of pleural tissue (visceral and parietal) that are separated by the pleural space. The interior of the chest is kept at a negative pressure to keep the lungs inflated. The presence of air in the pleural space (pneumothorax), blood in the pleural space (hemothorax) or fluid (pleural effusion) are commonly occurring conditions arising from chest trauma, diseases or surgical procedures that can be potentially lethal without prompt treatment.
Chest tubes are typically placed into the pleural space of patients who have air and/or fluid around the lung that can collapse the lung. The chest tube is normally placed more anteriorly around the second or third intercostal space (ICS) in the anterior axillary or midclavicular line when air is the expected product to be drained. When blood or fluid is to be drained, the tube is typically inserted around the fifth to seventh ICS.
A conventional chest tube is usually a pre-packaged sterile plastic tube with a central metal trochar. These tubes currently are placed in the body either by making a surgical incision between adjacent ribs and making a hole into the chest crudely with a clamp or by a “Seldinger” technique which is to place a wire in the chest and then blindly pass dilators over the wire until the tube can be inserted into the opened space.
However, surgical dissection through the chest wall can result in complications. For example, over penetration during insertion can puncture major organs such as the lungs, liver, heart and spleen as well as produce vascular system injuries, diaphragm perforation and insertion site infections. These methods can produce problems with excessive pain as well as poor tube positioning since there is no visual feedback as to the location of the tubes during insertion thereby leading to unnecessary risks for patients.
Accordingly, there is a need for a chest tube insertion system and apparatus that will allow accurate placement of the chest tube while avoiding internal injuries and complications from the insertion procedure. The present invention satisfies that need as well as others and is generally an advancement in the art.